Worth visiting is the Kykko Monastery, founded in 1100, with an icon said to have been painted by St Luke. On the nearby hill of Throni can be seen the grave of President Archbishop Makarios.
This is the best known of Cyprus's monasteries and the most significant for the Greek Orthodox Church. It lies at a height of 3,816ft/1,160m, which means it is often cool, even in the height of summer, and in winter can be bitterly cold.
It was founded in the 12th century being given to Isaiah, a hermit who had cured the Emperor Alexios Comnenos' daughter of sciatica. The monastery received an icon of the Virgin Mary painted by St Luke. The icon is the main attraction of the monastery and in 1997 it was even claimed that the Virgin Mary began to cry, an event that was lauded as a modern miracle.
As the icon is considered too sacred to look at, it has to be covered by a silver plate on which is embossed a representation of the icon itself.
The monastery also houses the impressive treasury of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus. This includes a collection of bishops' crowns, an early Bible and other relics.
A festival is held here every year during August 14-16, when it is overrun by locals.
The road to the monastery winds through narrow and steep roads.
Below the monastery is a tourist pavilion with tourist shops, restaurants and rooms for rent.
Further up the road is the Tomb of Archbishop Makarios at Throni. This has become a shrine. The trees around are all bedecked with fragments of clothing as a homage to the much-loved late Archbishop. His tomb is guarded by two National Guardsmen.
A short distance up the hill is Throni, a mountain peak where a famous icon of the Virgin Mary can be seen. From the path around the hill there are some wonderful views of the surrounding area.
Paphos
Limassol
Nicosia
Agia Napa
Larnaca
